Thrust-bearing.



raainrrr oa LEIGH SaBCHE, OF MIDDLESEX, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO GRBLPHITE LUBRICTNG COMPANY, OF BOUNDIBROOK, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

THR'UST-BEARNG.

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Lig/406.-

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 23, M1316.

Drignal application filed March 17, 1914, Serial No. 82,357. Divided and this application tiled July 31,

To all whom t may concern l,

Be it known that l, Lnioir S. Baena, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Middlesex, in the coun'ty of lviiddlesex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful 1improvements in Thrust-Bearings, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, whereby any one skilled in the art may make and use the same. f

The invention relates to bearings and more particularly to a thrustbearing of the self-lubricating type, that is, one which does not require oil but in which oil may be employed without deleterious effects. .It relates more especially to a thrust bearing having a self-lubricating sleeve for maintainingI alinement of the shaft 'upon which the thrust may occur.

The self-lubricating bearing hereinafter described relates to the class of bearings formed in part oi' metal, preferably bronze, and a lubricating compound inserted in suitable groovesto provide for lubricating the surfaces of the metal shell of the bearing and the bearing members borne thereby. ln devices of this character heretofore ein ployed, there has been a tendency for the filling of graphite or other lubricating material to work loose and chip out, particu larly where the bearing shells are ofi eeniparatively thin material and subject te strain and warpage.

The present invention conteur structure in which the thrust port' s I bearing being oi' peculiar form and cor-- related to the main portion oi' the hearing will give adequate lubrication .without liability' of throwingofi' the-lubrieant at the point of greatest duty which may be considered as the thrust end of the bearing. The invention permits of the use of comparatively thin metallic shell portions which are not prohibitive in use and which will provide grooves, under the special arrangement, of adequate capacity for thoroughly lubricating the metallic parts.

Obviously, it is most important to provide for lubricating the entire surface of the metal, particularly in a bearing of the ty e hereinafter described 'which provides foi end thrust as well as axial conditi ns.

. It is one of the chief objects of the present invention to provide an arrangement of the Serial No. 43,038.

lubricating material and the metal container so disposed as to give a maximum lubrication to all'parts and at the same time, maintaining a maximum of strength for any given size of part. This object isattained and made possible by interlocking the lubricating elements, for that portion receiving the heaviest duty, so that there will be in practice a single unit body of the lubricant interspaced with sustaining portions of metal.

in the drawings, as bese showin the features of the invention, there is ilustrated a bearing adapted Yt'or wind-mills where' the vertical shaft must be lubricated and where there is an unusual degree of end thrust` Of course, the invention depicted in the drawings is not limited to a windmill bean ing and reference thereto is made as indirating the specia eiiciency of the invention in one term of applic: tion.

in a eopending application Serial No.

filed March 17, 1914there is illusti-ated and described a thrust washer for use be en two moving parts and l make no claim herrin to such a thrust washer.' 'lhe t nt invention described and claimed i. .et a division of said co-pending applibearinv eiitectual as a thrust bearinor oreat Si b3 2D ditiiculty has been experienced in maintaining shells of sutiiciently small dimensions that could hold a sufficient quantity oit graphite or lubricating material without. said material throwing oi. This condition is particularlytrue where attenfpt has been made to use a comparatively s1nall` thrust bearing as a separable part in conjunction with a line bearing, as the heats develop and the variations in co-eiiicient of expansion and contraction between the parts has seriously interfered wit-li holding the lubricating material. Obviously, where in the case of windaniil bearings or any forni et' bearing Where little attention is given 'n solid metal.

' with a flange or plate 3.

with radially disposed channels, both channels and recesses being filled with a lubricating material. The grooves `are as shown eccentrically arranged to the axis of the main line bearingso that the lubricant will be wiped over every portion of the metal surface at each revolution and the lubricating material will be thoroughly backed up by teferring to the drawings the numeral l indicates the main. body ofthe bearing which is provided with a continuous helical or spiral groove'2 in which, of course, is arranged the graphite or compressed lubricant. The end of the shell l is provided The .face of this plate has formed in its grooves el, 5, (Figs. l and 2 showing merely two grooves). These grooves or channels are ar'nnged eccentric to the axial line of the main bearing portion l and the metallic walls between the grooves l and 5 are broken down forming radial interconnecting channels 6, 7.

It will be obvious that with the grooves and channels filled with a suitable lubricant such, for instance, as graphite, the ro -tating part bearing thereagainst and .rotating concentric with the main line bearing, will carry the lubricant from the eccentric grooves across all the metal portions. rlhis gives a thin film of lubricant for every part of the metal surface. lt is quite appar ent that, taking any given point upon the metal surface and .moving it concentrically of the bearing, it will pass through at least two lines of eccentrically Adisposed graphite or lubricant. In so doing, it will travel for a considerable distance along the graphite surface. lt follows that there is a maximum surface of the graphite available for each moving point of the metal which abuts against the bearing and the metal of the bearing will thereby be lubricated by the carrying over of the film of graphite. N at# urally the greatest weight is disposed upon the thrust end ofl the bearing and the straight line portion is effective in maintaining an evcndistrihution of weight upon the thrust end. Y

It apparent that the eccentric groove arrangement permits lubricating the metal clear up to the periphery of the thrustend Licence and to the extreme inner edge of the central bore. It is equally obvious that the rotating parts, instead of crossingdirectly and abruptly from metal to graphite and from graphite backY to metal, glides smoothly along a field of the graphite and then on .to the metallic field with a wiping or sweeping action which has no tendency to misplace the graphite.'A

The eccentric grooves in themselves would not necessarily provide the full advantage which is attained by forn'iing the channels T As the speed of the rotating part adjacent to the central bore is comparatively less than the peripheral speed at-the vexterior of the thrust portion of the bearing, it is apparent that-confined grooves of lubricant would be subject to dilierent conditions of friction.

ByA providing the interconnecting radial channels, a direct contact of lubricant is secured throughout the surface and therefore the heat which may be developed is evenly distributed throughout the mass of lubricating material. This is eifective in preventing warpage and throwing of the graphite. Uf course, the central bore is adequately lubricated through the grooves 2 and the shell being made in a single piece, gives a substantially uniform heat condition for all of the lubricating material of the bearing.

ln Figs. 3 and t, there is shown a modified arrangement in which an eccentric spiral groove is employed. rlhe thrust end 8 is formed in extension of a central shell 9, the latter provided with a continuous spiral groove l0. The thrust end 8 has a spiral groove l1, beginning adjacent to the central bore l2, as at 13 and terminating adjacent to the outer periphery of the disk as at 1d. In continuation of this spiral groove and ary ranged at both ends thereof are isolated pockets 15, which serve to lubricate the ei:- treme inner surface and extreme outer surface of the thrust end without unduly w'ealrening the metallic structure. The spiral eccentric groove ll is joined throughout its convolutions by radial channels 16, which are effective in joining the entire mass of lubricant contained in the various convolutions of the groove. 'l his gives in substance 'the same result and eil'ect as is attained in the juncture of the series of concentric eccentric grooves illustrated in Figs. l and 2.

The same object and advantage is attained, namely, the uniting of the grooves by the channels, firmly cements together the entire body of graphite and incidentally, of course, provides a greater body of lubricant and a larger surface lubrication.

The radial channels break up the metallic portions of the rings into sections and form direct inner grooves for the graphite between the adjacent rings. Therefore, the

Whole body of graphite may accommodate ment of the individual. broken sections aisance itself to the com aratively slight displace 0 the interposed rings of metal. f

The thrust end being formed directly in the metallic shell provides features of strength for a thrust and straight line bearing, vpermits lightness and. i-ves a comparatively uniform heat distri ution which is materially advantageous yto maintain the most efficient condition-of graphite Without displacement.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: l. A bearing having a central bore and a disk-like member provided ,with av central .opening for the shaft and provided upon its face with lubricating grooves, saidgrooves v being connected by radially disposed channels filled `with alubricant.

2. A bearing having a central bore, lubricating grooves arranged in said borev and a Vdisk-like thrust member provided with -a central opening for the shaft and having" in its face lubricating grooves, and radially disposed channels connecting the successive grooves, said channels and grooves filled with a lubricant.

3. A bearing having a central bore provided with lubricating grooves, said bearing having at one end a disk-like member, a series'o' concentric grooves in said member,

all eocentrically arranged with reference to the axis of the bearing, a plurality yof radial channels connecting the said grooves,said channels and grooves and the grooves of the central bore all filled with a lubricant.

4. A bearing consisting of a shell having an interior lubricating groove, a disk-like member at one end of said shelLand formed integrally therewith, a spiral groove formed in the face of said disk-like member and generated from a point eccentric to the axis oli the shell, radial channels connecting the convolutions groove Vand channels and the interior lubricating groove of the shell being filled with a lubricant and the interior lubricating gro'ove of the shell.

dit

of the spiral groove, said 5. bearing consisting of a' shell having.

an interior lubricating groove, `a disklike .member at one end of said shell and formed integrally therewith, a spiral grooveformed in the face of said LEIG'H s, Baone. Witnesses S. A. KING, v DORA F. Aman.

being filled -With al disk-like member and" generated from a point eccentric to the axisl 

